Josalyn Moore

I attribute my success to two key mentors who really shaped me as a leader. Alicia Hilton worked with me in Germany, and our first meeting was humbling. She told me I was average and could be better, which hurt my feelings because I thought she'd put me in a higher position. But after that, she helped me grow in so many ways and showed me blind spots I didn't know I had. She really pushed me and made me a better leader. The other person is Muriel Manns, who taught me the concept of separating personal and professional life. She once asked me, 'Did I wake up with you this morning? Then I don't know why you have all this attitude with me.' That checked me and made me realize that just because I'm having a bad day, I don't have to mess up somebody else's day. I need to take a beat, recalibrate, and put it in a little box and come back to it. Those two ladies really shaped who I am today. Beyond that, my life experiences have been huge. I've immersed myself in different cultures everywhere I've lived or visited, from Korea to Japan to Bahrain to Cyprus. Getting to know local families, eating authentic Korean food with a family that sponsored me, volunteering in Cyprus and seeing locals so happy that people from other countries came to help clean up their country. These experiences have been eye-opening and shaped me in ways I never imagined. My psychology degree from the University of Maryland and my life coach certification have given me the foundation, but it's really been the combination of these mentors and my willingness to immerse myself in different cultures and experiences that's made me who I am.

I would tell her to look at all her options, and you know what, take what you want, take what you need from the military. What you see on the news of what actually happened in the military are two different things, but just take it with a grain of salt, and if you need any mentor, I would give her my number and tell her to call me. I think the best thing that happened to me is I didn't have any expectations, so I didn't know what I was signing up for, but I'll just tell her, just be mindful. It is different, and it was changing when I got out. It's reverting back to what it used to be, getting a little bit more stricter, which is kind of weird because I've seen some changes, and I did like some and I didn't like some others. But that's been 3 years ago, so I'm pretty sure a lot of stuff has changed since then. It's fast.

The most important value to me is leaving people better than I found them. That's what I like to do. I have a talent for bringing out greatness in people, pulling out potential they didn't even know they had, and that's become my gift. I've won multiple team awards in the military because of this, and people I worked with are now in higher positions than I was. They still reach out to me for help. I also value being mindful about separating work and personal life. One of my mentors, Muriel Manns, taught me that just because I'm having a bad day doesn't mean I have to mess up somebody else's day. I need to take a beat, recalibrate, and put it in a little box and come back to it. Another value is authenticity and not feeling like what I do is a job. I like to do what I do when I do it, and I don't want to feel like it's a job because if I feel like it's a job, I'll stop losing joy for it. I also value cultural immersion and connection. Throughout my life, I've made it a point to get immersed in the different cultures where I live or visit, building real relationships with local families in Korea, Japan, Bahrain, and Cyprus. These connections and experiences have shaped who I am. And finally, I value taking action on urges and instincts. Some of the best choices I've made in life have been decisions I made in an instant without overthinking, like joining the military on a whim, and those instant decisions have changed my life.